13% of Italians Below Poverty Line

13% Of Italians below poverty line
As of today 7.5 million Italians, 13 %, are living below the poverty line. A population of roughly 170,000 people lives well below the line of 600 Euros per month, comparing to 776 US dollars. These people are considered living in extremely poor living conditions.
Although statistics from 2007 and 2006 showed nearly any improvement for impoverished areas, Tuscan families have recently showed considerable progress for overall living conditions. Veneto is the richest region in Italy, having only 3.3 % of residents living below the poverty line, as compared to Sicily being the poorest region with a staggering 27.6% struggling to make ends meet. Southern regions are four times more likely to experience impoverished conditions than the rest of Italy.
The national statistic bureau sketched Italy’s poverty line at 600 euros a month for just a single person, 1, 607 euros (2,079 US dollars) for a family of four, and 2,637 euros (3,411 US dollars) for six or more. According to these margins 11.1% of families are living below their lines. The report states that one in four Italians is affected by poverty.
Since I am half Italian, my father always reads the Italian news paper so I am aware of the problems Italy is facing today. Unfortunately, their poverty stems from roots of an unreformed government, an influx of immigrants, and the devastation of changing from the Lira. These elements affect my family personally, and even though they are not living in the South, they still face poverty within their own region in the north.
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2008-11-04_104285935.html